(1) Field of the Invention
The invention is related to a seat bench device with a seat bench component and at least one restraining unit, said seat bench device comprising the features of claim 1. The invention is further related to a restraining unit for a seat bench device with a seat bench component, said at least one restraining unit comprising the features of claim 15.
(2) Description of Related Art
Aircrafts, and in particular rotorcrafts, are equipped with seat bench devices having seat bench components that are adapted for providing a plurality of seats for passengers of the aircraft. In the context of the present invention, the term “passenger” designates any person that is transported on board of the aircraft and, thus, supposed to occupy a seat in the aircraft. Therefore, such passengers are also referred to as the “occupants” of the seat bench components, i.e. as the “seat bench occupants”.
Usually, the requirements for a configuration of a given seat bench device is based on a predefined body size, i.e. shoulder width, of a presumed largest seat occupant. The predefined body size is adopted as minimum seat width in seat development and used as a basis for manufacturing individual seats that are stringed together to define seat bench devices, wherein all seats are provided with identical and usually too large seat geometries. Such a seat bench device is e.g. described in the document FR 2 684 067 A1.
However, with such seat bench devices a predetermined seat density in the aircraft cannot be optimized for seat bench occupants with different body sizes. In other words, seat bench occupants having smaller body sizes than the predefined body size cannot sit closer together than seat bench occupants with larger body sizes in order to increase a possible number of seated occupants, as an underlying seating distance and density is only dependant on a respective seat geometry of each individual seat and the position of corresponding seat belts. Furthermore, such a seat bench device with stringed individual seats cannot be used as medical gurney, if necessary, as there is no continuous seating surface available. It should be noted that in the context of the present invention the term “continuous seating surface” should be construed as defining a seating surface that is uninterrupted, i.e. not interrupted by gaps, protrusions and so on.
The document US 2008/0191540 A1 describes a seat bench device with individual seats that are stringed together such that they define an elongated seating surface that is interrupted by gaps. Each stringed individual seat is provided with two separate restraining systems that allow seating of seat bench occupants with different body sizes on the seat bench device.
However, while the restraining systems are adapted for seat bench occupants with different body sizes, seat bench occupants having smaller body sizes can still not sit closer together than seat bench occupants with larger body sizes to increase a possible number of seated occupants. Furthermore, while the seat bench device could be used as medical gurney due to the elongated seating surface, it still does not define a continuous seating surface.
The documents DE 10 2013 002 887 A1, WO 2014/035549 A1 and EP 2 479 072 A1 describe seat bench devices with continuous seating surfaces. These seat bench devices are provided with configurable restraining systems that can be adapted for use with seat bench occupants having different body sizes by means of a reconfiguration of an underlying seating position scheme. The restraining systems are all seat belt-based and comprise respective seat belts that can be fastened to associated engagement members.
However, in these seat bench devices the seat belts of the corresponding restraining systems are arranged at predetermined positions, i.e. fixedly and unmovably, and can thus either not be moved when re-configuring the underlying seating position scheme, as e.g. according to the document EP 2 479 072 A1, or must be removed entirely, i.e. demounted, as e.g. according to the documents DE 10 2013 002 887 A1 and WO 2014/035549 A1. Consequently, these seat bench devices are invariable and re-configuration thereof is complicated and time-consuming.
It should be noted that according to the document EP 2 479 072 A1 the engagement members can be displaced to a certain extent. Such a possible displacement of the engagement member is a well-known feature and already described in other documents, such as e.g. the document US 2013/0099536 A1. However, while such a displacement provides a certain flexibility to the corresponding restraining system as such, the re-configuring thereof as described above is still cumbersome and complex as the seat belts thereof are fixedly and unmovably mounted to the seat bench devices.